Plans have been drawn up to reorganise the layout of Helston Community Hospital and bring more services under one roof in a £1million project that would “future proof” it for generations to come.

The Helston Packet can reveal that talks have been underway between hospital chiefs, the League of Friends and the Helston Downsland Charity for more than 18 months and that a full-scale document has been drawn up detailing the changes, although at this point there is no guarantee the project will go ahead.

It would include improving outpatient facilities, including the well-used minor injuries unit, and bringing community dentistry and mental health services that currently operate out of the health centre, next to Helston Library, under the hospital’s roof.

At the same time, a reorganisation of beds would make them easier to manage, provide increased security and free up other areas of the hospital for a new dining area.

Dr Ken Whittle, president of the hospital’s League of Friends group, said: “It would create a greater unity and an increased number of services. It’s used as a hub now, but it would be used much more as an NHS health care hub for the whole of the Lizard Peninsula.

“I think the term that was used was that it would future proof the place.”

Speaking to the Packet, Dr Whittle said that there had been discussions with the Downsland trustees about the potential for selling part of the land under their control, which sits between Flambards and Captain’s Lane on the perimeter of RNAS Culdrose, to fund the scheme. He claimed the land would be estimated to raise more than £1million if sold.

Helston's town councillors sit as trustees on the charity, although it is separate from the council.

Dr Whittle believed that a public meeting should be held so that Helston residents could debate whether this was the right way forward and the best use of money from any potential sale of land.

He recognised that some people might argue that public money should not be spent on improvements to a health facility, which arguably the NHS should be funding.

However, he reasoned that the hospital was originally built in 1923 using funds entirely raised by the people of Helston, with no government input. When it was passed into the control of the NHS in 1948, not only was the building transferred but also extra funds that had accumulated over that period.

“The community input has been considerable to this place,” said Dr Whittle, who added that precedents had been set in other parts of the country, such as Great Ormond Street Hospital in London being heavily subsidised by public subscriptions and Stratton Hospital in Bude, where its League of Friends is currently trying to raise £1million to customise NHS-funded improvements.

Tim Grattan-Kane, chairman of the Helston Downsland Charity, told the Packet he was unable to comment at the moment for legal reasons.

The Packet contacted a representative for the hospital but had not received a response as the paper went to press.